Netherlands or Japan?

I can be fickle minded at times when it comes to traveling. I was so keen to go to Netherlands few weeks ago; as in, my mind is really set on that but other options came up all of a sudden which will save money. 

My husband's friend who lives in Japan is inviting us to stay for few days in Nagoya. April will be the right time to see the cherry blossoms in bloom. And if you might ask, cherry blossoms are one of my favorite flowers next to tulips. So, a light bulb moment came up. I can actually save a big amount of money if we go to Japan because we will have free accommodation and transportation. 

Accommodation fee is one of the important things to consider when one is planning for a trip especially to countries with high cost of living. Japan is considered as one of the expensive countries to visit. So, if we can get free accommodation for few days then I can actually use the money intended for the accommodation fee to our Tokyo Disneyland package.

My daughter is very happy to hear that I "may" change my mind about the European trip for my 40th birthday. She loves anime and where is the best place to get "manga" stuff? JAPAN! I already did a comparative cost analysis on Netherlands, US and Japan trips and the result is in favor of Japan. At least, if I choose Japan as my destination in April 2012 then I will only think about the airfare, accommodation in Tokyo and the Disneyland package fare. The visa is free of charge for Filipinos so that is a chunk of money saved already as compared to the Schengen visa which is quite expensive.

US is another option. I will slash my cost of travel expenses almost in half if I go here as compared to Netherlands. I checked the Disneyland package in Anaheim and they are offering great price with a free night stay if I book for 2 nights. I don't have to pay for US visa because we already have one so that is another money saved. We have relatives in Los Angeles area too and we can bunk there for few days if we want too and that's extra savings. The only concern I have is that going around US is tiring. We have to drive for few hours to reach San Diego and more hours to go to Las Vegas which we all have visited already. My daughter is not that excited but mention Japan, she jumps up and down for joy.

I am not considering this as a dilemma because I want to be more pragmatic with my choices. Besides, I can always visit Netherlands some other time. Right now, I want to save more money so I can buy my collectibles from Japan. My husband and daughter will be thrilled of my decision when I finalize it.

Bye Netherlands or Hello Japan?